SPA Conference session: Design patterns without developers? | |||
| One-line description: | Design patterns are generally considered helpful. So why haven't we extended them elsewhere? Come and help identify some patterns in other disciplines. | ||
| Session format: | Workshop (75 mins) [read about the different session types] | ||
| Abstract: | Martin Fowler once wrote that design patterns help you communicate your idea. They have become part of the lexicon of software developers and architects, often for the better. The classic 'Design Patterns' book is the number-one ranked book in the Software Design Category on Amazon.co.uk. The PLoP conference has been running for 16 years with a focus on patterns in programming. So where are the all patterns that don't neatly fall into software development? Patterns occur in other related fields: for example in building and deploying software, and in systems administration. We haven't yet a 'Gang of Four' moment in those fields, where one collection of patterns reaches a tipping point and becomes part of our daily workplace vocabulary. We are all impacted by the lack of a pattern language in fields related to development: without a common language for patterns, we experience a babel-like effect where vendors and writers multiple names on the same patterns. This will have a Biblical effect on our work. There has been a few moments in these other fields: Intel Press published a book of 9 Infrastructure Patterns (and a huge introduction to the concept for infrastructure designers) in 2006. There are blog posts that list a few patterns here and there. There's nothing like the Portland Pattern Repository for those fields. This workshop is intended to be a start towards identifying, collecting and promoting patterns in two fields that are peripheral to software development. The session proposer's experience lies in two fields: build management and deployment, and also systems administration. The workshop will be limited to discussing any patterns that occur in these fields. The objective of the workshop is to collate a list of design patterns for each discipline that is covered, with enough context to publish the pattern (problem, solution, guidance). This will be achieved by working in groups to discuss existing patterns and identify names for existing patterns. All the material will be published online under a Creative Commons license. | ||
| Audience background: | The most important thing to bring to this session is an open mind. Participants will benefit from some experience or understanding of build and deploying software, and/or systems administration. Some prior exposure to design patterns in software would be a great help. | ||
| Benefits of participating: | By participating in this workshop, you'll enjoy an interesting exercise in identifying patterns, and have a chance to help trickle down some of the enourmous improvements made in software into other fields. You might also go down in history as the person who named a pattern! | ||
| Materials provided: | Flip charts, post its, A3 paper, reference copies of the canonical works on design patterns. I'll spend some time before the workshop identifying existing patterns that likely be applied to other disciplines. | ||
| Process: | After an introductory discussion, we'll break into groups to begin collating and identifying patterns. It's most likely that the self-organising groups will emerge based on discipline (e.g. those with interest or experience in systems administration will probably choose to work together). We'll conclude the session by sharing our learnings. The session organiser will collect everything for transcription later. If any participants want to take electronic notes, they will be thanked. | ||
| Detailed timetable: | 00:00 - 00:15: introduction and very quick run-through of existing patterns. 00:15 - 01:00: working in self-selected groups, with roaming facilitation by organiser 01:00 - 1:15: presentation of learnings, wrap-up. | ||
| Outputs: | The outputs will be: pattern names (in post-it) on flip chart paper. When we believe that there's no existing description of the pattern, we'll write it up on A3 paper in the most expedient format: longhand, mind map, etc. Transcription and (publishing as a web page)will happen after the conference, but the results will be also available to participants (or anyone who is interested) via e-mail. | ||
| History: | This session hasn't been presented elsewhere. | ||
| Presenters | |||
| 1. Julian Simpson The Build Doctor |
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